We Have Not Long to Love
by sabakunokaguya
Summary: He only had one thing to look forward to and that thing was Wednesdays.


**A/N: **This was written for brokenbottleaurora for the Monthy One-Shot Exchange on HPFC. The prompts were: Harry x Hermione, angst (maybe?), and "We Have Not Long to Love" by Tennessee Williams"

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Wednesday, his favorite day of the week. After doing the same thing every Wednesday for the past three months, one would think he would tire of this ritual, but he didn't. It was all he had to look forward to these days. He woke up early every Wednesday, barely able to sleep from the excitement of knowing what the day would bring.

As he lay in bed, he looked up at the ceiling, and for a moment, he wondered if what he was doing was wrong. For a moment, the perfect day he had planned, didn't seem so perfect after all. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. This happened every Wednesday, and every Wednesday he had to tell himself it was all going to be ok.

It did not do well to dwell on what the consequences of continuing with the ritual might bring. He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. It was time to start getting ready, it was too late to back out now.

He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of grey boxer briefs. He only wore those on special occasions. Next, he went to his closet and grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white polo. As he walked into the bathroom, he saw a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. He turned to fully face it and leaned forward to get a good look at himself.

As usual, his dark brown hair was sticking up in every direction as if it had a mind of its own and as he ran his fingers through it, he realized there would be no point in trying to tame it. He had been trying and failing since he was eleven. What stuck out to him most about his appearance was the dark circles under his dull green eyes. Over the last few months, it had only gotten worse. At first, he did a concealing charm to hide them but soon stopped caring. What was the point in trying to hide something when everyone already knew the cause of it? Again, he was thinking of things that were threatening to ruin his perfect day.

No longer wanting to put a damper on his mood, he slapped himself a few times in hopes of removing his negative thoughts and bad memories. There was no place for that kind of thinking on Wednesdays. After reminding himself about what was to come in no less than an hour, he set his clothes on the counter, undressed, and jumped in the shower.

With each passing moment, he could feel his excitement return. For the first time that day, a smile was starting to form at the corner of his mouth, and soon he was unable to refrain from stopping a full smile from forming.

After stepping out of the shower, he quickly got dressed and decided that since it was a special day, he would use his concealment charm. He even chose to tame his hair. Wednesdays always brought out the best in him.

He headed to the kitchen and started on breakfast. There were only twenty minutes left before she arrived, and everything had to be perfect.

Looking through the refrigerator, he pulled out a carton of eggs and an unopened pack of sausages. He stroked his chin for a moment while looking at the eggs, not sure how he wanted to prepare them. "Maybe I should try poached eggs today."

He began filling a pot with water when he heard a faint crackling sound coming from the living room. Was she here already? If so, he didn't want to leave his lady waiting.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw her. He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms.

"Hermione."

At the sound of her name, she turned around to face him and gave him a small smile. She slowly made her way over to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I hope I'm not too early," she said, "Ron left for work earlier than usual."

He shook his head. The earlier she came, the more time he had with her.

"Of course not. Breakfast will be done in a moment."

Hermione followed him into the kitchen and sat at the island. She watched him prepare their meal, and every once in a while, they would share a brief look and smile at one another.

This was part of their routine. Hermione would come to his place every Wednesday morning, he would prepare them breakfast, they would eat while idly chit-chatting, after that, things weren't so friendly anymore or maybe they were too friendly?

"Harry, I-I can't do this anymore." She couldn't look at him. It broke her heart to tell him they had to end things.

"Did I do something wrong? Would you like to go somewhere else for a change? Maybe we can-"

Hermione shook her head and had to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"No, no. Everything is perfect."

Harry looked at her, confused. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't understand, then."

She took a deep breath before speaking again. What she was about to say would hurt him, and she couldn't stand knowing that she would be the one that was about to bring more pain into his life.

"Ron and I decided to work on our marriage, we're going to counseling now."

He laughed. For a moment, he thought things between him and her were really going to end, but now he sees she was playing some sort of joke.

"You might be brilliant, but telling jokes is not your forte."

Hermione balled her hand into a fist and stood up from her seat. She pounded her fist onto the table, causing the forks to rattle. "Dammit, Harry, I'm serious!"

"I was there for you when Ginny-"

"Don't you dare talk about Ginny."

Harry got up from his seat and began pacing around the kitchen. Why did things have to end? Why now? This was the only thing he had to look forward to.

Hermione gently placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Maybe you could see someone professionally and really talk about what happened."

"Get out."

The roughness in his voice told her that he was holding back tears. She didn't want to be the cause of his pain, but they couldn't continue this anymore.

She tried one more time to help him, to comfort him. "Harry I-"

Harry looked up at her, his eyes were red, his breathing shallow. "I said, get out!"

Backing away from him, she gave him one last look before apparating out of his kitchen, leaving him completely alone.

Wednesdays were no longer his favorite day. They were just like any other day, a day filled with loneliness. Another day where he realized just how alone he really was.


End file.
